He Owed Her
by Vanille Strawberry
Summary: Shaking her head, she ventured back to the campfire to dry the rest of her damp clothes. Oh, he owed her big time. One-shot.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. I own a TV which features Avatar.**

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He Owed Her

Katara kept her attention purely focused on the stream of water she was controlling. Thanks to Toph who had reconstructed the fountain, it had given Katara a chance to brush up on her bending. However, without a partner, it made the drill seem dull and lifeless. The water just was not moving for her as well without Aang.

Woah… where had that thought come from. Since when did she need Aang to waterbend?

Katara sighed letting the water drop back limply into the pond, sending ripples across its surface. Since Aang had begun training with Zuko, all other bending disciplines began to get relatively forgotten. He still practised earth bending on-and-off with Toph if he had time. Waterbending stayed completely forgotten.

Katara remembered stolen golden moments travelling across the earth kingdom, when she and Aang would find a flowing creek or lake to practise. Adjusting stances, blushing cheeks and fruitful results. How she wished those days had remained in the present. Alas, Aang had mastered her art and moved on.

She sat on the rim of the pond resting her elbows on her knees and sighing once more. Running a hand through her hair, Katara looked up to find Toph standing a few feet ahead.

"Hey Sweetness. Feeling a little crabby?"

Another sigh.

Toph's eyebrows rose and she moved to sit next to Katara. The water bender had buried her face in her hands and Toph tried to sound sympathetic.

"You alright, Katara? Princess getting on your nerves again?" she asked a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

Zuko had been victim to her nicknaming talents. She had assured him it was part of his…_initiation, _into the group. She had brainstormed for hours on the best-(or worst name, depending on how you looked at it.) Sparky, Firecracker, Hothead. Princess and Zuzu had won out on all the others.

"Not it's not Princ- I mean Zuko. Well, not exactly." Katara let out a slow breath.

"Oooh! Three sighs, this must be big." Toph gave a knowing grin and leant forward in her seat, "Come on you can tell me."

"I guess…I guess I just miss Aang's company." There she had said it. However, even as the lips left her lips she could scarcely understand them.

"How could you miss Aang? He hasn't gone anywhere."

Katara threw her arms up with a huff making Toph jump with the sudden motion. When she brought them down again it was to grasp her hair, the palms of her hands digging into her eyes.

"I know he's still here, but--but he's not. Does that make any sense?"

Toph gave the water bender a strange look. "No."

Katara groaned thrusting her head forward making a small wave crash over the blind earth bender. Spitting water and shaking the excess liquid out of her clothes, Toph grumbled. The water bender's hands flew up alarmingly to her mouth.

"Toph I am so sorry!"

"It's alright. I needed a bath anyway."

Katara was struck dumb and gazed at Toph as if for the first time. Since when was the girl in front of her so understanding? Normally she would have ranted a little, kicked a nearby rock, and stormed off to a secluded spot. This… this had Katara puzzled.

"Why don't you just tell Aang that you want to spend some time with him?"

"Tell him?" Katara echoed softly. Toph nodded wringing her bangs to squeeze the water back into the pond. "I couldn't… it would be just too _awkward_."

"Since when have you and Aang ever been awkward with each other?"

"He kissed me." Katara said shyly a light blush adorning her cheeks.

Toph grinned shamelessly. Spirit's the boy had done it! She would have to complement him on his bluntness later. For the first time he had taken the moose-lion by the horns and had started acting like an earth bender.

"Brilliant. So when are you planning on kissing him back?"

Katara gawked. "_What_?"

"Well I just figured that you were in love with him too." Toph shrugged nonplussed.

Katara's train of thought hit a snag. Had Toph said that Aang was in love with her? Well, she hadn't _said _it per say but she had surely implied it.

"Since when is Aang in love with me?" the waterbender asked a little defensively, this was one subject she wanted to have all the facts on.

Toph shrugged again, "From what everyone's told me, he's been in love with you since you found him."

A few moments passed in silence. Toph looked up bewildered as Katara slowly stood up and water bended the water out of her clothes. When all she was offered was more silence the earth bender cocked and eyebrow.

"I think I'm going to find Aang. There's something I've been meaning to return to him."

Toph smirked and waved a hand towards Katara. "Go on. I'll cover for you with big bro."

"Thanks Toph… for everything."

Then Katara was sprinting away in search of Princess and Twinkle-Toes leaving a satisfied blind bandit behind. As Toph got up and stretched all she could think about was how much Aang was indebted to her for having talked to Katara. Shaking her head, she ventured back to the campfire to dry the rest of her damp clothes.

Oh, he owed her _big _time.

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A/N: Yes I am finished! Do you know how long this took me to write? Hours upon hours or non-stop writing. Distractions upon distractions in the form of annoying siblings, parents and dogs in need of walking. I was going to get Zuko talking to Katara but seriously would Katara open up to the guy? Not yet anyway maybe in time. But I've wanted to do a Toph thing for ages. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem that doo any more. I'll let you be the judge of that.

_Slán_


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